On Thursday, the Minister of State for Development and International Partnership of France, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, announced the establishment of two new Alliance Française branches in Udaipur and Bhubaneshwar. Alliance Française is an institution backed by the French government with a mission to promote French language and culture globally.
Ms. Zacharopoulou expressed, \”France\’s goal is to ensure that French language and culture are easily accessible throughout India. This is why we are inaugurating two additional Alliance Française branches in India, one in Udaipur and the other in Bhubaneswar.\” She made this declaration during her visit to the institute in Delhi.
As per information from the French embassy in India, France presently maintains a network of 15 Alliance Française institutions and seven branches across the country, providing French language instruction to more than 28,000 students.
During her visit, the minister engaged with students at the institute and shared her personal journey of learning the French language. She conveyed, \”I started learning the language just like any non-French speaker. Despite my Greek background and French not being my native tongue, I stand here today… French is a language for everyone.\”
In the course of the interaction, Shilpi, a volunteer recruited from India, disclosed, \”I embarked on my French language journey in 2022, and in a relatively short time, I managed to grasp the language. My learning experience was significantly enriched during my eight-month stay in France. The French environment was a great teacher and opened up numerous opportunities for me.\” Lina, a French volunteer residing in India for a few months, added, \”I\’m thoroughly enjoying my experience and immersing myself in India\’s rich culture. I can now communicate using basic Hindi words.\”
